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[av_heading heading=’ Prevendido sister surrenders to cops ‘ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY RUBY P. SILUBRICO
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Tuesday. September 19, 2017
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ILOILO City – The sister of slain drug lord Richard Prevendido and barangay captain of Bakhaw, Mandurriao district surrendered to the police yesterday.
Remia Prevendido Gregori told the Mandurriao police station she was not involved in drug trafficking but agreed to undergo police profiling.
Accompanied by her lawyer Rameces Padilla, Gregori submitted fingerprints and had her mug shots taken past noon.
According to Inspector Juan Tigaronita, acting police chief of Mandurriao, Gregori was a high-value target of the police in the campaign against illegal drugs.
“We are thankful that she turned herself in to our police station,” said Tigaronita, adding that it took them quite some time to convince the barangay captain to do so.
Gregori denied any involvement in illegal drugs and claimed having no idea of her brother Richard’s activities.
Prevendido, a fugitive charged with violating the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, died in a shootout with policemen in Barangay Balabago, Jaro district on Sept. 1.
Gregori denied having protected her brother.
“She initially refused to surrender. She told us she had no criminal case. But I told her she was a high-value target and she needed to clear her name,” said Tigaronita.
On June 1, Gregori presented herself to the Police Station 1 in the City Proper then to the Iloilo City Police Office. She denied helping her brother Richard.
“She told me she did not know her brother’s whereabouts. She claimed he was not communicating with her,” said Senior Superintendent Remus Zacharias Canieso, then the city police director.
Gregori also expressed the fear her house would be raided and “planted” with illegal drugs. This was after then Deputy Regional Director Levi Ortiz of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) claimed receiving information that Prevendido was hiding in Gregori’s house.
In March, Ortiz and his men tried to enter the barangay captain’s house but she refused to let them in. PDEA-6 did not have a search warrant.
“Nagapanginwala siya sang tanan nga accusation against her,” said Canieso.
Though it suspected Gregori of helping Prevendido, PDEA-6 admitted it did not have “direct evidence” against her.
No witnesses were brave enough to come out against Gregori, said Ortiz.
What PDEA-6 had was a text message from someone scared to testify, lamented Ortiz.
Gregori was one of three barangay captains that the city council recently investigated for the continued proliferation of illegal drugs in their respective areas.
Barangay captains Keith “Dabing” Espinosa of Monica-Blumentritt, City Proper and Noemi Jablo of Desamparados, Jaro already presented themselves to the police and denied having anything to do with illegal drugs./PN
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